Colon irrigator



A. R. FISHER COLON IRRIGATOR March 1, 1932.

Filed July 12, 1929 Patented Mar. 1, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEApplication filed July 12, 1929. Serial No. 377,817.

This invention relates to a portable unit for colon irrigation.

In the present method of administering colon irrigation treatments topatients, it is continuously demonstrated that a patient under treatmentmay, and often does, develop sufiicient pressure within the colon, toforce the medical solution backward into and through the colon or inflowtube, thus con- 1 taminating the main artery of supply. This conditionis most dangerous as the discharged solution may contaminate the supply,thus becoming a source of infection which might be delivered from onepatient to another or cause a re-infection of the same patient. Theprimary object is therefore to arrest any possible back flow of thesolution to overcome the above dangers in the administering of colonirrigation.

To this end I ma provide a back stop check in the colon in ow tube ormain artery of supply, so arranged that when the pressure within thecolon reaches a predetermined oint, that is to say, sufficient toovercome t e pressure developed and applied by the column of solution,the back stop check, which may be a suitable valve, will operate toclose communication with the source of irrigating liquid supply, andthus prevent the colonic back pressure from returning any discharged andhence contaminated solution into the supply source.

At times it may be found that a patients developed colonic pressure willexceed the normal amount, so that the introducing pressure necessary toovercome the abnormal internal pressure will be such as to causenoticeable or marked discomfort, as for example when the internalpressure is such as would be represented on the pressure gauge as about2 lbs., which may be termed the point of discomfort. Also, someauthorities maintain that (Deliver-Surgical Anatomy, Vol. III, page 179)If the colon tube is coiling upon itself, no solution can be forcedthrough it. This statement is not considered to be accurate, i. e., thecolon tube may coil completely within the rectum and still the solutionwill run freely through it. But if there be a complete kink developed,or if the openings, eyes, etc., be obstructed, it then may be impossibleto force solution through the said colon tube sustaining such kink orblock. This, of course, may occur without theknowledge of the operatoror the patient.

To maintain the comfort of the patient so far as'possible during thecolonic irrigationand to enable the operator to immediately discover andcorrect any stoppage of the colon tube as above mentioned, it may bedesirable that the operator shall know the exact amount of pressuredeveloped by the column of solution contained in the supply containerand the main artery of supply attached thereto; and also, when the flowof solution is started, the sustained pressure as the solution entersthe gut, or the pressure of the back flow acting against the back-stopcheck. Hence, the present apparatus comprehends means to indicate to theoperator these different pressures, as fbr instance, a suitable pressuregauge, located at a convenient point along the main artery of supplybetween the back stop check and the colon tube. Such a pressure gaugemay indicate what is taking place within this portion of the artery ofsupply under different conditions, and thus enable the operator togovern his treatment accordingly. Thus, also, any stoppage of the colontube will be registered by the pressure gauge, and checked up andcorrected by the operator; whereas, without such means of check-up saidstoppage -may continue indefinitely. The various pressures produced atvarious times during treatment may be indicated upon the dial of thepressure gauge and the operator is thereby enabled to guard against anyundue pressure, thereby keeping the patient more comfortable than heotherwise would be, and at the same time enabling the operator to domore thorough and more scientific work.

Another object of the invention is to provide a portable unit or standfor conven ently supporting the solution jars m an ad usted elevatedposition and the discharge bottles or containers adjacent thebase-thereof, the entire unit or stand being movable to enable moving ofthe same adjacent the table or bed of the patient to be treated.

With these and other objects in view, the invention resides in certainnovel construction and combination and arrangement of parts, theessential features of which are heremafter full described, areparticularly ointed out 1n the appended claim, and are illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, in which I Figure 1 is a side elevatlonalview of my improved portable colon irrigation apparatus.

Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view through the check valve.

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail sectional view through one of thesolution jars and its suport. p Referring to the drawings by referencecharacters, the numeral 10 designates a portable stand which includes atubular standard 11 supported upon a base comprising legs 12. Supportedbetween the legs are pans or shelves 13 which support bottles or jars14, the same being provided with tubes 15 which extend beyond the corksto facilitate the attachment of a tube or hose for a purpose to bepresently explained. Mounted on the standard 11 directly above thebottles are guides 16 through which the discharge tube or hose passes.This hose will be more fully described hereinafter.

Telescopically arranged with the standard 11 is a rod 17 which may beraised or lowered to any desired height and held in an adjusted positionby a set screw 18 threaded in the top of the standard for clampingengagement with the rod 17. Mounted adja' cent the top of the rod 17 isa collar 19 having notches or sockets 20 therein to receive the legs 21extending from supporting rings 22. These rings support solution jars 23which taper fromtop to bottom so as to firmly seat within the rings. Thesolution jars are adapted to contain a liquid medical solution for thetreatment of colonic ailments. A flexible lamp support 24 extends fromthe top of the rod and carries an electric lamp 25 for illuminating thejars in order to clearly display'the amount of the contents in thejarduring the administering of a colonirrigation. The wires leading tothe socket of the electric lamp may pass upward through thetubular-standard 11 and rod 17.

Connected to the bottom of one of the jars is one end of a supply hose26, the other end being connected to the inlet 27 of a colon irri ationtube 28 of the construction set fort in my prior Patent #1,211,928. Itis not believed necessary to go into the specific structure of the colontube other than to state that it also includes an outlet 29 to which adrainage tube or flexible hose 30 is connected. Arranged within thedischarge tube 30 is a Y-coupling 31 to which a branch flexible tube 32is connected and which branch tube also connects to a Y-coupling 33arranged in the inlet tube 26. Control valves 34 and 35 are arranged inthe drainage tube and branch tube respectively while a similar valve 36is arran e in the inlet 26 above the Y-coupling 33. e free end of thedrainage tube 30 may be connected to one of the tubes 15 of the bottles14 when desired to obtain a sample or specimen of the solution, afterpasse e through the colon. This tube 30 may also connected to anydrainage system by. which the dischar e solution may be carried off.Arranged wit in an inlet or supply tube 26 is a manually controlledvalve 37 adjacent which is a compressible bulb 38 which receives theflow of solution from the jar 23 and upon squeezing of the same, thesolution may be discharged through the colon tube under pressure.Disposed below the valve 37 is a check valve 39 which includes a-body 40having a valve seat 41 with which a valve member 42 co-acts. Undernormal conditions, the valve member 42 is unseated and the solution fromthe solution jar 23 is permitted to flow freely to the colon tube orunder pressure by the actuation of the bulb 38. In the administering ofa colon irrigation, a patient under treatment may develop sufiicientpressure within the colon to force the solution backward through thecolon tube 28 and inlet 26 which contaminates the main artery of supplyand which contamination might cause the transmission of an infectionfrom one patient to another or re-infection of the same patient.However, by the use of the check valve 42 this danger is eliminated asan back pressure in excess of the gravitational ow of the solutionthrough the inlet tube or the flow of the solution under pressure, willcause the valve member 42 to automatically seat upon the valve seat 41,thus checking the back flow and preventing contamination with the sourceof supply. The bulb 38 and inlet tube between the bulb and the solutionjar is also protected against contamination by the aforesaid checkvalve; the solution remaining in the bulb and tubing thereabove, mayafter shutting off the tube by the action of the yalve 36 and bycompressing the bulb, force back and upward toward the supply 'ar, theremaining column of solution in the tu e above the bulb therebyexpelling from the tube any air which may have followed the recedingsolution downward, thus keeping a solid column of solution intact withno ossibility of wrongfully introducing any air mto' the colon.

7 For the purpose of indicating the temperature of the solution in thesolution jars 23, I mount a thermometer 42 to the inner side wallthereof. The thermometer 42 is mounted in position by first rougheningthe inner surface of the jar by the use of emery paper and applying arelatively thick coatin of shellac to the roughened surface. The termometer 42 passes through a tubular holder sleeve 43, which holder isalso given a coating of shellac and whilev the shellac on the wall andon the holder is in a soft condition, the same acts as an adhesive forthe attachment of the holder. When the shellac has against accidentaldropping out. Although I have only shown one of the jars 23 connectedwith the supply tube, it will be appreciated that a branch tube may leadtherefrom to the other jar in cases wherein a large quantity of solutionis required in the administering of an irrigation. I,

By the construction of a portable unit for colon irrigation such as hasbeen herein described, it is possible to move the unit adjacent the bodyof a patient, or in hospital wards, the same may be moved between twobeds and two irrigations given simultaneously by the use of the twoelevated solution ars, it being appreciated that two sets of tubes arerequired.

The hereinbefore described construction admits of considerablemodification without departing from the invention; therefore, I do notwish to be limited to the precise arrangements shown and described,which are,

as aforesaid, by way of illustration merely In other words, the scope ofprotection contemplated is to be taken solely from the appended claim,interpreted as broadly as is consistent with the prior art.

What is claimed as new is A portable irrigation apparatus comprismg acontainer, an irrigation tube, a second tube connecting said containerto said irrigation tube, a compressible bulb interposed in said secondtube, a manually operable valve 3 between said container and said bulbinterposed in said second tube a second manually operable valve belowsaid bulb and adjacent thereto, said second valve being interposed insaid second tube, an automatic valve intertube including a fourthmanually operable valve and connected to said irrigation tube and tosaid second container, and a branch tube including a fifth manuallyoperable valve connected to said second tube and to said drainage tube.

In testimony whereof I hereby aflix my signature.

,ARTHUR R. FISHER;

posed in said second tube and adapted to

